We have had “customer relationship initiatives” for a long time. Some have paid off. Many have not.
Is it just about the technology (most of which has failed)? No. Absolutely not.
It is all about our goals and strategies, our people and great processes? Is it about our culture? Is it about our leadership? 
Customer service interactions are becoming your primary means of creating true customer relationships. To be a successful business today, you must understand how relationships actually work, and how to build them. While the ways in which you do this may be specific to your business, here are some fundamentals about relationship-building that are universal:
And so, can relationships be “managed”? Should they “be managed”?
Relationships are not easy. Some will say that relationships can and should be managed. They will give you acronyms that promise to solve all your relationship troubles. But unfortunately, in business, as in life, relationships cannot be managed. ~~Mikkel Svane is the founder and CEO of Zendesk
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